WWE Stars React To Mixed Match Challenge (Video), New MMC Details, Will There Be Commercials?, More

As noted, it was announced today that WWE will premiere a new weekly in-ring series, called WWE Mixed Match Challenge, on Tuesday, January 16th at 10pm EST for the Facebook Watch platform. We have full details on the show at this link. The mixed teams will be revealed on Thursday, January 4th but WWE has already announced that the red brand will be represented by RAW Women's Champion Alexa Bliss, Alicia Fox, Asuka, Bayley, Braun Strowman, WWE Cruiserweight Champion Enzo Amore, Finn Balor, Goldust, Nia Jax, Sasha Banks, The Miz, and a Superstar chosen by the Final Fan Vote, while the blue brand will be represented by Becky Lynch, Bobby Roode, Carmella, SmackDown Women's Champion Charlotte Flair, SmackDown Tag Team Champion Jimmy Uso, Lana, Naomi, Natalya, Rusev, Sami Zayn, Shinsuke Nakamura, and a Final Fan Vote (member of The New Day).

WWE also confirmed that the 12-episode series will see the winners of the single-elimination mixed tag team tournament win $100,000 to support a charity of their choice. Storylines for the mixed matches will be built using videos and other content across the various WWE social media pages. Each 20-minute episode will be filmed in the same venue that WWE SmackDown is taped each week, after SmackDown goes off the air, and will rely on heavy interaction with fans online. We're still waiting for updates on the status of WWE 205 Live and will keep you updated.

Variety reports that Facebook has secured exclusive rights to the new series and they are paying WWE for the distribution rights but WWE will have the option to distribute the series as VOD content on the WWE Network after an unspecified amount of time.

The episodes on Facebook will have no commercials or advertisements. Facebook is still testing ad insertion for their live programming and they expect to eventually sell advertising on content that streams via the new Facebook Watch platform but there's no word yet on when that would begin.

Variety also noted that while Mixed Match Challenge will be filmed in the same venue as SmackDown each week, it will have its "own look and feel" as WWE 205 Live and WWE Main Event do. The filming of the show will also use "tighter shots of the action, bolder, brighter graphics and 360-degree video."